462                           THE COUNTIES OF MARYLAND

CARROLL COUNTY.

The erection of Carroll County occasioned one of the liveliest political
controversies within the annals of the State and finally became one of
the influences leading up to the constitutional amendment¹⁶ which intro-
duced marked changes in the manner of selecting the delegates and
Governor. As early as 1830 the number of inhabitants in what is now
Carroll County is said to have been over 20,000. These people found
difficulty in transacting their business at the County Courts and the
more progressive citizens in the vicinity of Westminster and Taneytown
began to agitate the question of the establishment of a new county.
The aroused public interest sought satisfaction in three different ways.
It was suggested that Baltimore and vicinity be separated from the rest
of Baltimore County and that a new county seat more centrally located
be chosen. A second suggestion was that a portion of Frederick County
be erected into a new county, and the third suggestion involved the tak-
ing of portions of Baltimore and Frederick counties for the formation of
a new division. This last suggestion gradually gained the ascendancy
until a Memorial was presented to the Legislature by sundry citizens
of Frederick and Baltimore counties, praying for an alteration in the
formation of said counties. This was published in the Maryland Public
Documents for the December session of 1831 and issued in pamphlet
form. According to Scarff the boundaries of the new county desired
were to run as follows:

Beginning at Parr's Spring, at the head of the western branch of the
Patapsco River, and running with said branch, binding on Anne Arundel
County, to the north branch of said river; thence running up said branch,
excluding the same, to the old mill on Dr. Moore Fairs land, including said
mill; thence north seventeen degrees east to the Pennsylvania line; thence,
binding on said line westerly to Rock Creek, one of the head-waters of the
Monocacy River; thence with said creek and river, excluding the same, to
Double Pipe Creek; thence with said creek and Little Pipe Creek and Sam's
Creek, including their waters, to Maurois' mill, excluding said mill, and
thence with a straight line to Parr's Spring, the beginning.

This memorial was referred by the Legislature to a special committee
who ultimately introduced a bill which was passed by the General
Assembly. The boundaries there defined were almost exactly those

¹⁶ Acts of 1836, Ch. 197.